Time Life Entertainment
2008
No Rules
About This Album
Now this is a surprise. Country singer and songwriter Rebecca Lynn Howard scored a Grammy in 1997 for "Singing Softly and Tenderly," which appeared in the film The Apostle starring Robert Duvall. In 2002 she scored a number five hit on the country charts for the single, and it ended up in the Providence TV soundtrack along with the title track from her album Forgive. In the liner notes she claims she toured for three years in support of it. No Rules is Howard's first album in six years and it's a jump from anything she's done in the past. For starters, it was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, and it appears on the independent Saguaro imprint. That said, No Rules is a record Nashville couldn't release. It's too up-front, too raw and immediate, too spontaneous. Produced by Michael A. Curtis, these 14 songs contain ten originals and four covers. The styles showcased here jump all over the map from hardcore funk (albeit it done Muscle Shoals style) to soul, gospel, and contemporary Nashville country -- but done without the cookie-cutter sound. The highlights are considerable, and include the burning opener "Shakey Ground," which was a hit for the Temptations and written by the team of Jeffrey Bowen, Al Boyd, and the late Funkadelic guitarist Eddie Hazel! The feel of the tune is very different, but she can sing funk like nobody's business.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,7,8 and 11)

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